2012 Magpie Season
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby UpDownUp » Wed Oct 03, 2012 12:36 pm
1. will wearing something over my ears stop the magpies snapping at them?
2. are magpies more likely to swoop a solo cyclist and not swoop for a group?
3. what is the usual period for magpie swooping and what months in the season are worst?
Thanks
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby macca33 » Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:26 pm
cheers
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby MREJ » Thu Oct 04, 2012 8:04 am
Need to be careful with turning around, obviously. I was once out riding a beautiful quiet road in Western Sydney, near Silverdale, when I copped a fair whack on the helmet. I decided to get clever,so I awaited the shadow and then turned and swung a punch at the critical moment. The bird got a big shock, squawked and veered away, but it wasn't as big a shock as I got when I turned back to the front to find myself on the wrong side of the road and a car heading towards me! Fortunately, there was no impact on any of the parties (avian or human) other than emotional.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby MP » Sun Oct 07, 2012 11:38 am
Be careful.
MP
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby scotto » Mon Oct 08, 2012 10:05 am
he is the baddest for miles. the two near rouse hill town centre are positively tame compared to this oneMP wrote:Hi Im new to the forum , The McGraths Hill Magpie now lives in the big trees on the corner where McDonalds is. Particularly aggressive and will draw blood at times. Its ok if you know hes coming but if you are day dreaming and suddenly you get smacked in the head there is the possiblility that you may shy away into a car coming from behind.
Be careful.
MP
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby g-boaf » Mon Oct 08, 2012 12:40 pm
1.Might do some good - it depends on how much you want to stand out from the crowd. However, they may just decide to go for you neck instead, or somewhere else unprotected.UpDownUp wrote:I'm reasonably new to the joys of swooping Magpies and cycling, so could anyone tell me:
1. will wearing something over my ears stop the magpies snapping at them?
2. are magpies more likely to swoop a solo cyclist and not swoop for a group?
3. what is the usual period for magpie swooping and what months in the season are worst?
Thanks
2. I don't know - I've been among a group and the damn thing singled ME out, left everyone else alone. I swear, I really want to take a tennis racket along the next time and take a damn good swing at the evil bird. It is a menace. Speeding up doesn't help that much either - they are pretty fast.
3. Some say between August and November - but that is subject to change on when the maggies feel like being amorous.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby J-Tim » Wed Oct 10, 2012 2:51 pm
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby Xplora » Sat Oct 13, 2012 4:14 pm
The bastard got me this morning. No issues heading towards the overpass, but coming back, damn thing scratched and pecked, assaulting for 200m past the lights!?!?!? Glad the ute boys got a laugh *it would have been hysterical to watch* but even the maggie that was outside my house was friendlier than this guy. Yikes.MP wrote:Hi Im new to the forum , The McGraths Hill Magpie now lives in the big trees on the corner where McDonalds is. Particularly aggressive and will draw blood at times. Its ok if you know hes coming but if you are day dreaming and suddenly you get smacked in the head there is the possiblility that you may shy away into a car coming from behind.
Be careful.
MP
I'm precious about my Oracle helmet too LOL
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby leximack » Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:28 pm
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby Xplora » Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:30 pm
Yeah we normally do that with the Trek Rouse Hill Leisurely Gentlemen Rollers (the slow group) but I was running late and ended up doing a solo run around the base yesterday - and didn't think the magpie could be that bad. I was wrongleximack wrote:If your going to the bypass then turn left onto park rd (street before groves rd) and simply skip the magpie alltogether. Better for you and the magpie. Do the same on the way back. Easy . If theres a street to bypass a magpie I always take it.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby hannos » Tue Oct 23, 2012 7:51 pm
It's on my street about 150m from home. Absolutely zero chance of out-sprinting it though. Where it lurks is a 14% gradient...
He doesn't come near when I keep my eye on him though
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby ColinT » Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:17 am
To add insult to injury, I thought the the bypass might avoid him, but he still got me another 3 or 4 times on the way back.
Fortunately all he was hitting was cartilage, the fleshy bit would have been worse.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby NotFlyingScot » Fri Nov 02, 2012 5:57 pm
The b!(AT)#$%d got me yesterday also. He obviously knows to go for the left ear. Hit me time and again, truck parked at the lights blasting his air horns did not put him off at all. Quite the nastiest maggie I've ever come across.ColinT wrote:The McGraths Hill maggie got me on Sunday, had no warning at all as I passed the McDonald's. He had about 4 or 5 go's at me, drew blood on my left ear.
To add insult to injury, I thought the the bypass might avoid him, but he still got me another 3 or 4 times on the way back.
Fortunately all he was hitting was cartilage, the fleshy bit would have been worse.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby Xplora » Fri Nov 02, 2012 7:34 pm
It's an absolute horror, isn't it? Never had anything like it. Magpies aren't on the endangered list are they????NotFlyingScot wrote:The b!(AT)#$%d got me yesterday also. He obviously knows to go for the left ear. Hit me time and again, truck parked at the lights blasting his air horns did not put him off at all. Quite the nastiest maggie I've ever come across.ColinT wrote:The McGraths Hill maggie got me on Sunday, had no warning at all as I passed the McDonald's. He had about 4 or 5 go's at me, drew blood on my left ear.
To add insult to injury, I thought the the bypass might avoid him, but he still got me another 3 or 4 times on the way back.
Fortunately all he was hitting was cartilage, the fleshy bit would have been worse.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby broker » Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:50 pm
I'm a long time reader and first time poster.Xplora wrote:It's an absolute horror, isn't it? Never had anything like it. Magpies aren't on the endangered list are they????NotFlyingScot wrote:The b!(AT)#$%d got me yesterday also. He obviously knows to go for the left ear. Hit me time and again, truck parked at the lights blasting his air horns did not put him off at all. Quite the nastiest maggie I've ever come across.ColinT wrote:The McGraths Hill maggie got me on Sunday, had no warning at all as I passed the McDonald's. He had about 4 or 5 go's at me, drew blood on my left ear.
To add insult to injury, I thought the the bypass might avoid him, but he still got me another 3 or 4 times on the way back.
Fortunately all he was hitting was cartilage, the fleshy bit would have been worse.
The McGraths Hill magpie has to be the worst one I have ever come across! He got me really bad today, blood gushing out of the ear and the term relentless does not do this bird any justice!
I got caught at the traffic lights, got off my bike and he just kept swooping from the top of the traffic lights,I even managed to hit him with a stone but that wasn't a deterrent. Followed me along Windsor Rd for about 50 metres.
Must have been pure entertainment for the folks in their vehicles caught at those lights.
On the return from Windsor I decided to dice it up with the 18 wheelers on Windsor Rd, that was the 'safer' option!
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby Xplora » Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:20 pm
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby ColinT » Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:01 pm
Thank you for your email dated 29 October 2012 regarding the aggressive magpie at the corner of Groves Avenue and Windsor Road, McGraths Hill. Apologies are extended for the delay in my written response.
An application to destroy this bird has been forwarded to the National Parks and Wildlife Services. In the interim, signs have been placed in this area to advise the public of this swooping bird.
For further information please don't hesitate to contact me directly on
I don't like seeing animals killed in any situation, but surely this is a better result that the risk that this beast poses to others. Thanks Hawkesbury Council.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby g-boaf » Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:05 pm
I have tried this with other councils and eventually gave up, it just went around in circles. Do you know what act and section number the application for this is?
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby ColinOldnCranky » Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:00 pm
A good reason to wear sunnies.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby MP » Sat Dec 08, 2012 11:06 pm
MP
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby clackers » Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:01 pm
With no casualties to the SEAL team sent to deal with him, we hope!MP wrote:Good news. It looks like the McGrath Hill Magpie at Maccas is gone. I went past today head swivelling and he couldnt be seen, another cuple of cyclest went past me going the otherway and I stopped to have a look and they also went through with no Maggie in sight. Looks like they got him.
MP
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby Xplora » Tue Dec 11, 2012 4:34 pm
clackers wrote:With no casualties to the SEAL team sent to deal with him, we hope!MP wrote:Good news. It looks like the McGrath Hill Magpie at Maccas is gone. I went past today head swivelling and he couldnt be seen, another cuple of cyclest went past me going the otherway and I stopped to have a look and they also went through with no Maggie in sight. Looks like they got him.
MP
Honestly, it had to go. Someone had to think of the CHILDREN
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby g-boaf » Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:26 am
Encountered one on Saturday near Guildford, but an offering of food settled it down. Its youngster couldn't get the food fast enough.
Good that the McGraths Hill one has been destroyed, it was dangerous. This also serves as proof to councils who say they can't do anything about them that they can and that this is the procedure.
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Re: 2012 Magpie Season
Postby jaznit » Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:53 am
Hi,g-boaf wrote:1.Might do some good - it depends on how much you want to stand out from the crowd. However, they may just decide to go for you neck instead, or somewhere else unprotected.UpDownUp wrote:I'm reasonably new to the joys of swooping Magpies and cycling, so could anyone tell me:
1. will wearing something over my ears stop the magpies snapping at them?
2. are magpies more likely to swoop a solo cyclist and not swoop for a group?
3. what is the usual period for magpie swooping and what months in the season are worst?
Thanks
2. I don't know - I've been among a group and the damn thing singled ME out, left everyone else alone. I swear, I really want to take a tennis racket along the next time and take a damn good swing at the evil bird. It is a menace. Speeding up doesn't help that much either - they are pretty fast.
3. Some say between August and November - but that is subject to change on when the maggies feel like being amorous.
So it looks like August to November with a chance of July to December.
Has anyone been swooped into Jan ?
Jeff
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